10 September, 2021
Current vs Collective state of the atmosphere
Climate vs Weather: Words matter
Elements of climate and weather
- Precipitation
- process that ends with the fall of water to the earth’s surface.
- Temperature
- amount of heat energy in the air
- Atmospheric pressure
- force exerted on a surface by the weight of the atmosphere.
- varies vertically; decrease as you ascend
- Wind
- dries humidity, causes storms, and drives evaporation
- Solar radiation
- provides heat
- Cloudiness
- form when humid air cools to dew point & water/ice attaches to dust, ash, etc.
- type and # are important
Climate controls life, but what controls climate?
Slope of Earth’s surface causes uneven heating
Earth’s axial tilt (23.5°) creates seasons
Atmosphere circulation impacts climate via “Air Donuts”
Earth’s atmosphere contains six rotating “Air Donuts”
Earth surface processes also impact climate
Mountains and the rain shadow effect
Surface features impacts weather: Atlantic hurricanes
Vegetation alters weather and climate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3OWgb0Bv-A
Why is London warmer than Boston?
Ocean currents heavily impact global climates
Global climate: El Nino (https://www.climate.gov/enso)
Biomes: Usually defined by communities of plants and animals
Climate controls life: Terrestrial biomes
How does climate impact ecology? A question of scale…
Ocean Biome: Depth, light and nutrients
Take home messages
- Climate and weather are connected but should not be used interchangeably
- current vs collective atmospheric conditions
- The Earth is round, tilted and spinning
- adds complexity to how energy interacts with the surface
- more than just albedo
- There are broad climate patterns with latitude and altitude
- HOWEVER - lots of other factors make weather and climate patterns more complex
- know some examples
- Biomes represent climate zones composed of living things adapted to specific climate conditions
- largely related to precipiation and temperature